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Archive for August 29th, 2009

(CNN) — A Florida plumber was found guilty Friday of kidnapping and murdering a police detective’s daughter at a trial in which his victim’s voice filled the courtroom as her desperate 911 call was played to the jury.

Denise Lee’s frantic 911 call was the centerpiece of her killer’s trial.

1 of 3 Jurors deliberated just two hours before finding Michael L. King, 38, guilty of first-degree murder, kidnapping and sexual battery in the January 17, 2008 abduction and slaying of Denise Amber Lee, a 21-year-old mother of two.

Lee’s family, including her father, Charlotte County Sheriff’s Det. Rick Goff, cried as the verdict was announced; King showed no reaction.

The jury must next decide whether King, who was a stranger to Lee, should be executed for his crimes.

According to testimony during the weeklong trial, Lee was taken from her home sometime after 2 p.m., driven to King’s home, sexually assaulted, then shot in the head and buried in a shallow grave in a marshy vacant lot. Watch King listen to the verdict »

King’s attorney, Jerry Meisner, did not present any witnesses. But prosecutors told the jury that Lee’s ring was found in King’s car, and hair matching hers was found on duct tape found at King’s house. Read the rest of this entry »